From the desk of Roland Rocchiccioli

FEW actors were better-looking than the late Richard Chamberlain. Like the late Jean Simmons, he, too, was absurdly beautiful. On coming face-to-face with either of them it was difficult not to gape at their physical perfection.

Richard Chamberlain, who starred as Dr. Kildare in the 1960s television series, was a heart-throb. He received 12,000 letters a week. His death at the age of 90, two-days from his 91st birthday, brings an illustrious career to a close, and the loss of a truly kind and wonderful man. He was a gentle soul, possessed of perfect manners and a genuine and abiding regard for everyone. What you saw on screen was what you got in person. There were better actors but Richard was a star — imbued with the indefinable something which separates them from us. He had a deep calm — a reassuring presence which attracted audiences both on the screen, and in the theatre.

Richard came to Australia to film, The Last Wave, directed by Peter Weir, and co-starring the late Frederick (Freddy) Parslow, David Gulpilil, and Olivia Hamnet as Richard’s wife. The film met with positive reviews from critics and audiences. He starred in a number of films, but it was television where he made his mark. Dubbed, “King of the mini-series”, it was an epithet he accepted but charmingly dismissed.

While the cannon of Richard’s work includes a string of internationally acclaimed mini-series, he was, at heart, a serious actor. Keen to dispel his Dr. Kildare persona, and determined to prove his worth and test his mettle, he moved to England to “learn to act”. Almost immediately (1969), he starred in the mini-series of Henry James’ classic tale, The Portrait of a Lady, for which his reviews were excellent. Set in the late-1870s early-1880s, Richard, as they say, wore costume well. He looked picture-perfect. Originally broadcast in black-and-white before television’s BBC-1 could transmit colour, the series survived the archival purge. Subsequently, Richard accepted an offer from Peter Dews to play Hamlet at the cash-strapped, Birmingham Repertory Theatre which needed a box-office star! The announcement created much excitement — and a deafening tsunami of incredulity. London critics descended determined to teach the pretentious, American, television actor a stern, British lesson. To their consternation he proved them wrong. They agreed he could act. Consequently, reviews for Richard’s Danish Prince were acceptable.

Richard Chamberlain and Jean Simmons starred in the mini-series of Colleen McCullough’s, The Thorn Birds, together with Rachel Ward and Barbara Stanwyck, attracting an estimated 140-million viewers.

With Richard’s demise, much is being written about his sexuality. For years he played cat-and-mouse with the press, laughing and dancing around the truth. He was a romantic lead, fearful his career would be destroyed if he was exposed. When a French magazine printed a story his publicist denied it. He was 68 when he publicly declared his predilection. Correctly, he suspected his confession would overshadow the rest of his biography’s content. The abuse he suffered at the hands of his alcoholic father was eclipsed by his sexual orientation. Happily, he died with no personal secret.

Richard’s career is enviable. The depth and breadth of his work astonishing. He came from a theatrical time-and-a-place which has passed. While others came-and-went, he endured, stoically. Loyal audiences adored him. I doubt we shall see his like again.

Roland is heard with Brett Macdonald — radio 3BA Monday at 10.45 a.m. Contact: [email protected]